China: The Buddhist arhat Kalika represented as an itinerant monk. Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, 8th century

The Eighteen Arhats ( Shíbā Luóhàn) are individuals depicted in Mahayana Buddhism who have followed the Eightfold Path and attained the Four Stages of Enlightenment, and are also the original followers of the Buddha. They have reached the state of Nirvana and are free of worldly cravings. They are charged to protect the Buddhist faith and to await on earth for the coming of Maitreya, a prophesied enlightened Buddha to arrive on earth many millennia after Gautama Buddha's death and nirvana. In China, the eighteen arhats are also a popular subject of Buddhist art.

Kalika is traditionally considered Arhat No. 7, the 'elephant-riding luohan', eulogised by China's Qianlong Emperor as: 'Riding an elephant with a dignified air, Chanting aloud the sutras.

'With a heart for the humanity, Eyes scanning the four corners of the universe'.

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